A crime shakes MIT: the director of a research center was shot dead in his own home
A spokesman for the prosecutor's office, David Linton, confirmed that so far no arrests have been made in connection with the case.
MIT professor Nuno Loureiro was shot and killed in his own home
Authorities in the state of Massachusetts have opened a murder investigation after the shooting death of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Nuno F. G. Loureiro, which occurred at his home in Brookline, officials said.
According to the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office, police went to the academic's home Monday night after receiving a report of a man with gunshot wounds. Loureiro, 47, was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead Tuesday morning.
"This is an active and ongoing homicide investigation," the district attorney's office said in a statement. A spokesman for the district attorney's office, David Linton, confirmed that so far no arrests have been made in connection with the case.
MIT's condolences
MIT confirmed the death of the professor and expressed condolences to his family, colleagues and students. Loureiro served as a professor in the departments of Nuclear Science and Engineering and Physics, and since May 2024 was director of the Center for Plasma Science and Fusion, one of the institution's most important laboratories.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth called the event a "shocking loss" for the academic community and said the university is offering support to those affected by the tragedy. "It is completely natural to feel the need for comfort and support at a time like this," she said in an official statement.
The Plasma Science and Fusion Center has more than 250 researchers, staff and students, and operates in seven buildings with approximately 250,000 square feet of laboratory facilities.
President's Career Development Award for Scientists and Engineers
According to MIT, the National Science Foundation nominated him for his contributions to the study of the generation and amplification of magnetic fields in the universe.
Who was Nuno Loureiro and why has his alleged murder shocked MIT?
Born and raised in Portugal, Loureiro received his bachelor's degree in physics from the Instituto Superior Técnico de Lisboa and a PhD in physics from Imperial College London in 2005.
He then did postdoctoral work at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in the United States and the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in the United Kingdom. He joined the MIT faculty in 2016 and was appointed deputy director of the Center for Plasma Science and Fusion in 2022.
The academic was internationally recognized for his work in magnetic reconnection, a fundamental process in plasma physics.
"Nuno was not only a brilliant scientist, but also an exceptional person," noted Dennis Whyte, former director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, in an obituary published by MIT.
The professor's death also generated international reactions. CNN Portugal reported that the Portuguese foreign minister announced the death in Parliament. Also, the U.S. ambassador to Portugal, John J. Arrigo, expressed his condolences in an official statement, in which he highlighted "his life, his leadership in science and his lasting contributions."
">O ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros anunciou no parlamento que o físico português Nuno Loureiro, diretor de um laboratório do Instituto de Tecnologia de Massachusetts (MIT), foi assassinado esta terça-feira a tiro em Boston. pic.twitter.com/cuC49aVufh
— CNN Portugal (@cnnportugal) December 16, 2025
The information was initially reported by The New York Times, based on data from judicial authorities and official communications from MIT.
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